Track brake for railways



March 16,1926, 1,576,623

M. E. BARR TRACK BRAKE FOR RAILWAYS Filed Sept. 27. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwvzwfoc M U. E. E1 arr- Patented Man 16, 1926;

UNITED STATES MARSHALL E. BARR, OF FRANKLIN PARK, ILLINOIS.

rRacK BRAKE FOR RAILWAYS.

Application filed September 27, 1924. Serial No. 740,327.

To all qbhom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, MARSHALL E; BARB, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Franklin Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Track Brake for Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an im roved track brake for railways and one Ob ect of the same is to provide a brake mechanism which may be applied to the tracks in a freight yard so that cars coasting along the track may have their speed reduced and be readily brought to a stop at the desired point without it being necessary for a brakeman to ride the car and apply the hand brake.

Another object of the invention is to provide a track brake having improved car wheel engaging means which are mounted upon opposite sides of therails for movement into and out of position for gripping the car wheels, these wheel grippers' being mounted in a special manner and having a specially constructed operating means.

Another object of this invention is to so mount the wheel grip ers and so construct the operating means tor the grippers that grippers upon opposite sides of a pair of rails may be all moved to a gripping posi tion when a draw bar or yoke forming part of the operating mechanism is moved in one direction. I

Another object of this invention is to so construct the brake device that the operating means for the wheel grippers may be controlled by a device actuated by comressed air or any other suitable agency and ocated at a proper point along the track.

Another ob ect of this invention is to so construct the brake device that a suitable member may be located along the track and successively made use of to gradually bring a car to a stop at the desired point.

Other objects and advantages will be brought out in the following description of the preferred form of thebrake structure which is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and wherein I Figure 1 is a top plan view of a track section having the improved brake mechanism applied thereto.

Figure 2 is an enlarged top plan view showing a fragment of the brake mechanism, and v Figure 3 is a transverse sectional View taken along the line 3- 3 of Figure 2.

This improved brake mechanismi is for use in connection with railroad tracks and will be principally used in freight yards where cars are to be run onto side tracks and made up into trains. These cars are shoved onto an inclined track leading to the side tracks and as these cars coast rapidly downthe incline and onto the side tracks they must be checked so that their speed is reduced and they do not collide with other cars upon the side tracks with too great a force. A section of track has been shown in Figure 1 and indicated in generalby the letter A and is provided with the usual ties B and rails G. This track-will be of any length desired and any desired number of the brake structures may be associated with the track. In Figure 1 three of the brake structures have been shown in connection with the track and each is indicated in general by the letter D. These are of a duplicate construction and therefore only one will he described in detail.

\Vhen putting the brake structure in place certain of the usual ties B will be removed and brake supporting 1 and 2 substituted. These ties 1 and 2 are formed of cement and adjacent each end is provided with an F- shaped pocket 3 having a portion 4 extend ing transversely of the tie and arms 5 and 6 extending lon itudinally of the tie. The transversely isposed pockets 3 open throug the sides of the ortions 4 of the ties 1 and 2 but the pockets of the tie 1 open through the one side of the tie and the pockets of the tie 2 open through the opposite side of the tie and therefore when the two ties are in place as shown in Figure by these ties in crossed relation to the arms and 6 of the pockets 3 and serve to support the rails as shown in Figure 3 and bolts- 9 are embedded in the tie and extend above it so that saddle plates 10 and ll can firmly secured upon the'tie upon opposite sides of the rail seats 7.

In order to grip the wheels of a car and apply pressure which will retard movement of the car along the track there has been provided wheel grippers 12 and 13 upon opposite sidesof each rail. These grippers are in the form of steel bars whlch extend longitudinally of the rails and have their end portions extending in diverg ng relation to the rails so that there will be no danger of the car wheels striking the ends of these bars and causing the wheels to leave the rails.

These gripping bars are to bemounted for movement towards and away from the rails and therefore there has been provided rocker arms 14 and 15 disposed vertically and having their upper ends provided with cross heads 14 and 15 secured to the bars 12 and 13 by fastener bolts 16. These bolts 16 have their heads countersunk in the bars as shown in Figure 2 so that they will be prevented from striking the wheels and thecross heads of the rocker bars are embedded in the gripping bars so that they-support the gripping bars and remove strain from the belts 1d. The lower end portions of these rocker hers extend into the arms of pockets 3 vand each rocker artsis provided with side pins 17 constitutingpivot pins for these ocker arms. These pivot pins 1"? are in the bearin s 18 of the saddle plates 16 and 11 and t e grippers wiil therefore mounted so that they can be moved towards a rail and grip the wheels,

of a car from opposite'sides thereof to retard rotation of the car wheels and move-- ment of the car alon the track.

In order to move t e Wheel gripping bars towards each other there have been provided links 19 and 20 which are disposed in. the arms of the pockets'3 and are pivotally connected with the lower ends of the rocker arms 14 and 15 and at their other ends pivotally connected with lever bars 21 resting upon blocks 22 in the open "ended portions 4: of the pockets 3 and extending through the open ends of these pockets. It should be noted that each link 20 is connected with -the inner end of its lever bar 21 and that the link 19 is connected with the lever bar intermediate its length and preferably between the blocks 22. I

All of the lever bars are to be moved at the same, time so that the wheels at both sides of a car will be gripped at the same ties 1 and 2. These links 24 are pivotally connected with short strips 25 pivotally connected with the outer ends of the'lever bars 21 at one side of the track and these strips extend beyond their connection with the links 24 and are pivotally connected with the rods 26 which extend across the track between theties 1 and 2 and are pivotally connected with the lever bars disposed between the rails. These rods 26 are preferably provided with turnbuckles 27 so that they may be longitudinally adjusted and the lever bars all caused to move at the same time.

When this brake mechanism is in use it is l'psut in place in operative relation to the ra' The yoke or draw bar is to be moved awa from the track when itis desired to che the movement of a car and in order to do so there has been provided compressed airoperated means including a cylinder 28 having supply and exhaust pipes 29 and 30 which may be of any suitable length and provided with suitable control valves so that operation of all of the brake means may be controlled from a central station. A piston is provided in the cylinder 28 and its rod or stem 31 extends through one end of the cylinder and is pivotally' connected with a bell crank lever 32. This bell crank lever is mounted upon "a block 33 and is pivotally connected with a link 34 leading from the draw bar or yoke 23.

and draw upon the link 19 so that the rocker bar 14 will be I moved to swing the wheel gripping bar 12 into engagement with the wheels of the car. The lever bar will then swing upon its pivotal connection with the link 19 and a pushing action will be exerted upon the link 20 so that the rocker bar 15 will be moved to swing the wheel gripper 13 towards the wheels of the car. The car wheels will therefore be gripped between the gripping bars 12 and 13 and rotation of the wheels and movement of the car along the track retarded. This gripping actionwill be controlled by the amount of pressure in the cylinder and therefore it is apparent that the car can be gradually brought to a stop by the successive action of the brake of the track and having links 24: connected with its ends and extending between the and described is the preferred form it is to,

be understood that changes may be found desirable when installing the brake mechanism and therefore the right is reserved to make such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A car brake structure comprising ties positioned in spaced relation and having pockets opening through the upper faces of the ties and having open ends communicating with the space between the ties, wheel grippers extending transversely across the ties and positioned in spaced relation for disposition upon opposite s1des of track rails, mounting members for said wheel grippers pivotally mounted and extending into said pockets, operating means for said mounting members positioned in said pockets with portions extending from the pockets into the space between said ties, and actuating means for said operating means extending between the ties and connected with the portions of the operating means extending from the ties.

2. A canbrake structure comprisin spaced ties having pocket opening into the space between the ties, sa dle plates spaced longitudinally of the ties, rail seats between the saddle plates, wheel grippers upon opposite sides of said rail seats and having depending rocker arms pivotally mounted upon said saddle plates and extending into said pockets, links in said pockets extending l0ngitudinaliy of the tie and pivotally connected with said rocker arms, and actuating means including draw bars extending longitudinally between the ties and having lever bars pivotally connected therewith and extending into said pockets and pivotally connected with said links, each lever bar having one link pivotally connected with its inner endand the other link pivotally mounted'intermediate its length.

3. In a car brake structure, the com ination with a track rail, of a wheel gripper bar extending longitudinally and adjacent to the side of said rail, and means for moving said bar toward and from said rail to grip and release a wheel passing over the rail, including a plurality of rocker arms pivotally mounted to swing about a horizon-' tal axis intermediate their ends and parallel to said rail, said rocker arms operatively connected at their upper ends to said bar,

and links connected to the lower-ends of said rocker arms.

4. A car brake structure comprising spaced ties provided with pockets, each pocket having a shank portion opening through one side of the tie and having arms extending longitudinally of the tie, saddle plates carried by said ties in spaced relation longitudinally thereof, wheel grippers disposed transversely across the ties and having rocker arms pivotally engaged with the saddle plates and extending into the arms of said pockets, a lever extending into the shank portion of each pocket and having links pivotally connected therewith and extendin in the side arms and pivotally connecte with the rocker arms, and. actuating means connected with said levers.

5. A car brake structure comprising a tie, a rail seat carried by said tie, saddle plates carried by said tie upon opposite sides of said rail seat and including bearing forming portion, the rail being provided with an F-. shaped pocket having a shank portion extending transversely of the tie and opening through one side thereof and arms extending longitudinally of the tie, rail grippers disposed transversely of the tie upon opposite sides of the rail seat and having depending rocker arms extending into the. arms of said pocket and above the tie provided with pivot pins engaging the bearing portions of said saddle plates to pivotally mount the rocker arms and permit movement of the wheel grippers towards and awa from each other, links pivotally connecte rocker arms and extending through the arms of said pocket into the shank portion thereof, a lever bar in the shank portionof said' pocket pivotally connected with said links and having an end portion extending out of the pocket, and operating means connected with the outer end portion of said lever bar. 6. A car brake structure comprising spaced ties, sets of wheel grippers extending transversely of the ties, means carried by said ties for mounting said wheel grippers for movement into and out of a gripping position, and operating means including lever bars carried by said ties and connected with said grippers and extending from the ties into the space between the ties, a yoke, links extending from the ends of the yoke between the ties, cross heads pivotally connected with said links and pivotally connected with certain of said lever bars, draw bars pivotally connected with'said cross heads and extending between the ties and pivotally connected with the remaining lever bars, anii means for imparting movement to said yo re. g

7. In a car brake structure, the combination with a track rail over which a, car

with said wheel is adapted to pass, of apair of wheel a plurality of rocker arms pivotall mounted to swing about an axis aralle to said rail and intermediate the engths of each rocker arm, each bar being 0 eratively con- 5 nected to the up ver ends 0 its respective rocker arms, an means for moving' the lower ends of the rocker arms of the wheel grip r bars away from each other to move the rs toward each other to bind the wheel on the rail between the bars, and the lower ends of said rocker arms toward each other to retract said bars and release the MARSHALL E. BARR.

' wheel. a 

